The honest truth is I haven’t had much time for the site lately. Replenishing our totally drained ISAs doesn’t come easily to me and I have to work long hours to earn the required income to be able to put money back in. Still, in times where young people struggle to even be able to get on the ladder, I’m very much appreciative that I could lay down cash to buy a property abroad. Basically, making the most of the last, high earning years of my career means other things have to be lessened.
You contributors seem to have been doing a good job of keeping things going and I’m appreciative of that. Ta very much 🙂
So while the Wycombe game was a game of two halves, it struck me that it was a team that really didn’t know each other and that’s exactly what it was. We won the game, gave some of the second eleven minutes and played some kids. Not much to moan about, I guess and I’ll leave it there.
Ipswich away then and as much as I see they’ll be fighting and it’s a possible banana skin game, given the long held general Villa fan thinking, where things going as you think just doesn’t happen, I now find myself moving on from that.
Hence if I think Ipswich are going to struggle this season (and I do) this game has to go down as a shoe-in. It’s quite simple, to my mind.
If we’ve truly stepped up a level and given we are in the Champion’s league, you have to assume we have, you have to approach games with the opinion that we are going to win.
Of course, there’s always the possibility of a Liverpool-Forest type result, but these should now become very rare.
Is that the correct way to think? I’m not sure and would appreciate you telling me your thoughts.
Whatever, it’s the way events have taken me. I expect to win the vast majority of games and am going to get the right hump if we lose games, simple. You’ve been warned, as much as you might think I’m out of order at times.
Expectations eh? Personally, I find them quite scary. It’s always been my motto to aim low and anything better is great when it comes to the Villa. Now it’s more a case of aim high and anything worse is very poor. Someone is doing a superb job if they have been able to change my mindset after 50 odd years as a Villa fan.
I digress. Squad news then and the big news is that John McGinn is out after tweaking his hammy in the Wolves game. He’s always a loss to me, but it’s been pointed out that he’s not quite indispensible anymore and as much as it saddens me to say it, I’m tempted to agree. He’s surely a future club ambassador, but we haven’t got there yet.
Hopefully, he’s back soon and played as that attacking mid we all think he really is.
That said, look at what Unai said;
“But, analysing his performances before his injury, he needed to improve and needed to increase his performance.
“And we were working with him in his focus to increase it.”
Im shocked. and stunned. Very stunned. (Did anyone else think the Rutles were great?) but it shows the current mindset. Look at what’s being said. He’s been crap lately. Now combine that with Emery’s comment about our first half against Wycombe which I couldn’t possibly print on such a respectable site as this (Ha)
It would seem the manager’s thoughts are very much aligned with the fans.
Skysports seem to be suggesting that Tyrone Mings and Boubacar Kamara are close to returning, which is surely an admission that our current defence is total rubbish. The stats don’t lie. We’ve been conceding far too many goals and I suspect Unai has the CL more in mind , rather than this piddling little inconvenience of a game (! my sarcastic reference to how the thinking has changed).
Ipswich news and they’re in pretty good shape. Kalvin Philips will be a last minute assessment job and how the over-hyped have fallen. What’s he doing playing at Ipswich? He obviously hasn’t performed and we dodged one there for sure, given that he was the next best thing and we were supposedly all over him.
Prediction then and it has to be a convincing 2-1 win to the Villa and they’ll only get the one because our defence is currently so poor.
The reality is more that we’ll scrape a win in a pretty ugly game. The same result applies in my prediction, but I’ve been lying to you when it comes down to it. Ultimately, I don’t ever see me losing that “the Villa way” doubt.
UTV!
It ought to be win, simple as.
Hopeful but still struggle to shake the sceptical view that we can fail on the least likely of challenges.
Can’t see a clean sheet as we have a mistake in us still, my guess is 3.1 but as long as it isn’t an edgy, nervy game I will be delighted.
Bayern Munich is clearly a priority game but talk like that is how we lose games against lesser teams with only a few days between them
Pete, it really is nuts being a Villa fan, isn’t it?
Agree with the “can’t keep a clean sheet” part, but definitely see it as a nervy game.
Logic says we win, but I’m not counting chickens,
As you say, Big ears is more important and it’s a question of if Unai can keep the players focussed.
I’d suggest his record says that’s not a problem.
It’s more about if our players are up to it.
I very much think the next level (play offs) is achievable.
And in that, saying that we’re better than 12 other top European clubs is some achievement in itself.
I really have no idea either. If Ipswich play with spirit, it’ll be a tough game. It would be good to disrupt their pattern with an early goal. However, i stillbthink we have too much quality for them. Maybe Unai will risk starting with 2 strikers as we should be able to control the midfield sufficiently.
I don’t like playing newly promoted teams too early on. However we did beat Leicester away in what was a tough match. It will be the same again for Ipswich with their fans up for it. If we don’t match their intensity then we will be in for a tough afternoon. We just need to be as competitive as them and then our quality should shine through.
We know that McGinn is out but for me, the defence is our biggest issue. Digne has played well and Maatsen provides cover so LB is looking okay. Also Konsa is for me an elite CB capable of playing RB. There lies our biggest weakness. We need Konsa at CB because Carlos simply isn’t good enough. Torres is excellent in possession but is a bit iffy as a defender. Mings IF he gets back to his best form before his injury should play in his place IMO. We have Cash out who again isn’t a good defender. We need to address the RB position in January if possible.
As for McGinn, I agree he hasn’t been at his best so far this season but he plays regularly for Scotland and it could be he’s knackered. Hopefully he’ll come back fighting as when he’s at his best, he’s one of the first names on the team sheet.
I saw a US TV interview with Cash and he was hoping to be fit for Wednesday. Maybe he’ll be for today? Anyone seen any squad news?
I’ve just read the details from Emery’s press conference yesterday. Mings and Kamara likely to be back in the squad in a fortnight!!!
He’ll also look at playing Watkins and Duran together more. (Tomorrow)?
All exciting stuff. And Buendia is back. Wow!!!
Another one I think is a must win if we want to be up there.
I think we’ll miss McGinn more than some think as, even when played out wide, which I actually like better than most do, he always adds that sense of fight and ball winning mentality which outmanoeuvres most.
I predict 2-0 to the Villa, Ollie and Duran goals written in the stars again. UTV!
Good news for Villa as Emi is banned from Argentina’s next two games for offensive behaviour.
https://www.bbc.com/sport/football/articles/c756r1609dno
Hope the club do not see the need to add to the punishment
With all the terrible things going on in the world, football chooses to sanction nothing more than a daft and comical act. With all the corruption and insane money in football, UEFA & FIFA are hypocrites.
Emi may have been talking to John McGinn about the purpose of a sporran. There are no pockets in a kilt so a Scotsman must protect his assets with a sporran. The sporran achieves this more by where it hangs than by what it contains.
An odd fact about Villa’s matches this season. In all of them the team playing away has scored first. I hope that continues tomorrow. My wife has loyally become a Villa fan since she married me, but before that as a farmer’s daughter she supported the Tractor Boys.
Saw Villa play Ipswich at Portman Road – April 2018 in the Championship with a 0-4 win helped by Ipswich being reduced to 10 men just before half time.
Grabban got 2 plus a rare Lansbury goal (and appearance) and Hourihane. Names from another era!
Since then Villa have mostly been on the up whilst Ipswich disappeared into L1
I don’t expect it to be that easy this time round and a draw wouldn’t surprise me but if we have real top 4 aspirations then this is a game we should be winning.
UTV
Interesting to see Ipswich are sponsored by ‘Mathematics’.
I hear ‘Grammar’ is looking to out bid them next season…🤣
That goal was down to chesty🤦♂️
And he’s redeemed himself!
Typical – yet another non clean sheet.
The defending, FFS!
You’re pin up boy too weak on the edge of the box.
The defending, FFS!
I can live with that, he’s not a defender.
The actual defenders want to learn to stop kicking the ball to the opposition!
And F off, he ain’t my pin up boy. 😉
Your not you’re 🤦♂️ but you’ll always be my pin up mate 🤣
All’s forgiven 😁
Why oh why do we keep giving away goals?
It’s certainly a problem.
CHESTY!!!!!!!!!!!
Yessssssss morgan woo hhhhooooo
Nice goal.
The first couple of minutes, I thought this was going to be easy, but with us being so poor at the back lately, now I’m not so sure.
Only another 9 and we’ll go top!
Ollie!
2-1
Beutiful cross from Bailey.